Ins and Outs of Wedding Insurance

You’ve picked the perfect venue. You have the date and the hashtag all set. All the food at the reception is planned to a tee. You’ve finally said yes to the dress. Everything for your big day is coming together and you can breathe a nice sigh of relief.

But what if an unforeseen emergency, illness or disaster hits on your wedding day? With average wedding costs hovering around $35,000, that’s a large investment you risk losing. Just like you wouldn’t purchase a new car or home without thinking about insurance, you shouldn’t plan your wedding without thinking about insurance; it’s too big of a risk. With wedding insurance, you’ll have that added peace of mind and confidence that no matter what happens on your big day, you and your significant other will be covered.

What is wedding insurance?

Similar to other types of insurance, wedding insurance protects your investment from those pesky, but often expensive, unforeseen circumstances that could ruin your wedding day. For example, what if at your wistful, winter wedding, a blizzard rolls through and you’ll need to postpone the wedding? Or what if your reception venue has a tragic fire just before your wedding day and you lose your deposit and have to book another location? What happens if you or your fiance gets severely ill the day of your wedding? These wedding disasters are all too common and are exactly where wedding insurance becomes handy!

Depending on the coverage you’re needing, insuring your big day can cost under $200, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the entire wedding.

If you’re considering purchasing wedding insurance, you will want to purchase it as soon into the planning process as possible. Your caterer or florist could go out of business tomorrow and you don’t want to lose any deposits you’ve already put down if that happens. Purchasing insurance sooner rather than later will make sure your day is covered from the beginning!

What Wedding Insurance Covers (And What It Doesn’t)

Each wedding is different and similarly, each wedding insurance policy will look a little different, depending on the state you reside, the insurance provider and what you need covered.

Many insurance providers offer “special event coverage,” which would insure any of your deposits, catering, rental cars, etc. in the event you need to cancel or postpone your wedding. Here are a few circumstances to consider:

Inclement weather: No matter where or when your wedding is held, there is a chance of a severe storm ruining the day, whether it be a tornado, hurricane or blizzard. With wedding insurance, your policy will usually cover postponing the wedding for these reasons.

Sickness or injury: Many wedding insurance policies will cover an unforeseen illness or injury of not only the wedding couple but also other key people involved in the wedding, such as parents of the couple.

Military or sudden job relocation: If you suddenly need to move across country for your job or were sent into active duty in the military, this is often covered under insurance policies.

Cancellations: While you hope everything you’ve planned with go off without a hitch, vendors will occasionally have to cancel last minute. And while incredibly frustrating, if you have wedding insurance, it may cover the extra costs of finding a last minute replacement.

While your wedding insurance policy could cover many different circumstances, it will most likely not cover cancelling a wedding due to cold feet or a sudden breakup. Also, if you’re looking to cover your engagement ring, that might need a separate policy and will not be included in most wedding insurance coverage.

Most couples put a ton of time, energy and money into making their wedding day spectacular and memorable. Anything you put that much investment into should be guarded and protected as best you can. Before purchasing a wedding insurance policy, check with your vendors to see if any protections are already included in your payment. For example, some reception venues might have insurance for inclement weather or property disasters included. Then, check with your insurance provider to see what policy you may need to cover you and your loved one’s special day!